Linearly moving mechanism and method of suppressing particle scattering

ABSTRACT

A linearly moving mechanism includes an internal moving body provided within a case body and configured to be moved in a linear direction, the internal moving body being configured to move an external moving body connected to a connection member protruded from the case body through an opening formed at the case body; a seal belt extending in the linear direction and provided within the case body to close the opening, a first surface side of both end portions of the seal belt in a widthwise direction thereof facing an edge portion of the opening while being spaced apart therefrom; and a deformation suppressing member provided to face a second surface side of the both end portions to suppress deformation of the seal belt, the seal belt being connected to the internal moving body to be moved along with a movement of the internal moving body.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The various aspects and embodiments described herein pertain generallyto a linearly moving mechanism and a method of suppressing scattering ofparticles.

BACKGROUND

A substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductorperforms various kinds of processings such as a film forming processingand a resist film developing processing on a semiconductor wafer(hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer) used as a substrate bysupplying various kinds of chemical liquids such as a resist. Such asubstrate processing apparatus includes, for example, a moving mechanismfor a transfer arm configured to transfer the wafer or a nozzleconfigured to supply the chemical liquid. The moving mechanism for thetransfer arm or the nozzle is equipped with a linearly moving mechanismconfigured to linearly move a moving target such as a wafer holder andthe nozzle.

An example of the linearly moving mechanism is described in, forexample, Patent Document 1 which discloses a configuration including anevacuable case, a linearly moving mechanism configured to linearly movea moving member back and forth within the case, a slit formed at thecase, and a sealing member (seal belt) configured to seal the slit fromthe inside of the case. It is described in Patent Document 1 that a partof the moving member is protruded out through the aforementioned slit tobe connected to the moving target, and the case is provided with a venthole allowing the inside and the outside of the case to communicate witheach other to suppress a local pressure rise within the case caused bythe movement of the moving member while the moving member is moved.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-305230

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Exemplary embodiments provide a technique enabling to suppressscattering of particles to the outside of a case body through an openingprovided at the case body to connect an internal moving body within thecase body to an external moving body, when linearly moving the externalmoving body connected to the internal moving body at the outside of thecase body.

Means for Solving the Problems

In an exemplary embodiment, a linearly moving mechanism includes a casebody allowed to be evacuated; an opening formed at the case body; aninternal moving body provided within the case body, and configured to bemoved in a linear direction; a connection member provided at theinternal moving body to be protruded from the case body through theopening, connected to an external moving body at an outside of the casebody, and configured to move the external moving body along with amovement of the internal moving body; a seal belt extending in thelinear direction and provided within the case body to close the opening,a first surface side of both end portions of the seal belt in awidthwise direction thereof facing an edge portion of the opening whilebeing spaced apart therefrom; and a deformation suppressing memberprovided to face a second surface side of the both end portions of theseal belt in the widthwise direction thereof in order to suppressdeformation of the seal belt, the seal belt being connected to theinternal moving body to be moved in the linear direction along with themovement of the internal moving body, or a suctioning member provided atthe case body, and configured to firmly attach, by sucking the firstsurface side of the both end portions of the seal belt connected to theinternal moving body such that a first portion of the seal beltcorresponding to a position of the internal moving body becomes fartherfrom the opening than a second portion of the seal belt different fromthe first portion in the linear direction, the second portion to theedge portion of the opening.

Effect of the Invention

According to the exemplary embodiments, it is possible to suppress thescattering of the particles to the outside of the case body through theopening provided at the case body to connect the internal moving bodywithin the case body to the external moving body, when linearly movingthe external moving body connected to the internal moving body at theoutside of the case body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a processing unit equippedwith a linearly moving mechanism according to a first exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a transversal plan view of the linearly moving mechanismaccording to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view of the linearly moving mechanismaccording to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of aconventional linearly moving mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of theconventional linearly moving mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an enclosing member provided in thelinearly moving mechanism according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the enclosing member.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of thelinearly moving mechanism according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for describing an air flow within acase body.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for describing an air flow near theenclosing member.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an inside of the casebody when a transfer arm is moved.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an air flow within thecase body when the transfer arm is moved.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for describing attachment/detachmentof a deformation suppressing member.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal side view illustrating another example of theenclosing member;

FIG. 15 is a transversal plan view illustrating the another example ofthe enclosing member.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal side view illustrating yet another example ofthe enclosing member.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal side view illustrating still yet anotherexample of the enclosing member.

FIG. 18 is a longitudinal side view illustrating another example of theinside of the case body.

FIG. 19 is a transversal plan view of a linearly moving mechanismaccording to a second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of thelinearly moving mechanism according to the second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of thelinearly moving mechanism according to the second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a longitudinal side view illustrating an enclosing member ofa linearly moving mechanism according to a third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a longitudinal side view illustrating another example of theenclosing member of the linearly moving mechanism according to the thirdexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a longitudinal cross sectional view illustrating a coatingand developing apparatus.

FIG. 25 is a plan view illustrating the coating and developingapparatus.

FIG. 26 is a plan view illustrating a coating module to which thelinearly moving mechanism of the present disclosure is applied.

FIG. 27 is a longitudinal side view illustrating another example of thecase body.

FIG. 28 is a longitudinal side view illustrating the another example ofthe case body.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view illustrating the another example of thecase body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Exemplary Embodiment

As a first exemplary embodiment, an example in which a linearly movingmechanism according to the present disclosure is applied to a transferarm 11 configured to transfer a wafer W as a substrate for manufacturinga semiconductor will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of aprocessing unit 10 that is equipped with the transfer arm 11constituting a substrate transfer mechanism and a module group to whichthe wafer W is transferred by the transfer arm 11. This processing unit10 constitutes a coating and developing apparatus which is a substrateprocessing apparatus to be described later, and is provided in anatmospheric atmosphere. Further, the aforementioned semiconductor doesnot mean a semiconductor as a substance, but it implies a semiconductordevice including an element such as a transistor or diode formed of asemiconductor.

A reference numeral 12 in FIG. 1 is a housing in which a plurality ofresist coating modules 14 configured to coat a resist on the wafer W isaccommodated, and the housing 12 is provided with transfer openings 13for the wafer W. The housing 12 faces a transfer path 15 for the wafer Wthrough which the transfer arm 11 is moved, and the resist coatingmodules 14 are arranged along the lengthwise direction of the transferpath 15. Further, a multiple number of heating modules 17 are disposedalong the lengthwise direction of the transfer path 15 so as to face thehousing 12 with the transfer path 15 therebetween. The heating modules17 are vertically stacked on top of each other in two levels to form astacked body.

A tower T1 is provided at one end side of the transfer path 15 in thelengthwise direction thereof, and transit modules TRS each configured asa module for the carry-in of the wafer W into the processing unit 10 isprovided in the tower T1. The transfer arm 11 is configured to transferthe wafer W from the transit module TRS to the resist coating module 14and the heating module 17 in this order, so that the wafer W issubjected to a resist film formation and a heat treatment in sequence.Then, the transfer arm 11 is configured to transfer the heat-treatedwafer W to a transit module TRS (not shown in FIG. 1 ) for the carry-outof the wafer W from the processing unit 10.

The transfer arm 11 is equipped with two supports 2, a base 21, anelevating table 22, a frame 23, and a case body 24, and is formed by theframe 23 and the case body 24. The supports 2, the base 21, theelevating table 22 and the frame 23 correspond to an external movingbody, and a linearly moving mechanism 1 is composed of the case body 24,various components to be described layer, which are configured to movethe frame 23 included in the case body 24, and a fan configured toevacuate the case body 24.

Each support 2 supports a rear surface of the wafer W. The two supports23 are provided on the base 21 to be vertically stacked on top of eachother, and are configured to be moved back and forth on the base 21independently from each other. The base 21 is provided on the elevatingtable 22, and is configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis on theelevating table 22. The elevating table 22 is provided so as to besurrounded by the frame 23 extending in a vertical direction, and isconfigured to be moved up and down within the frame 23. The frame 23 isconfigured to be horizontally movable as will be described later. Thewafer W can be transferred between the modules by the operations of thesupports 2, the base 21, the elevating table 22 and the frame 23 incooperation.

Now, the case body 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 andFIG. 3 as well. The case body 24 has a rectangular shape, and isdisposed below the stacked body of the heating modules 17 so as toextend in an arrangement direction of the stacked bodies. An opening 25is provided at a side surface of the case body 24 facing the transferpath 15. The opening 25 is formed in a straight line shape so as toextend in a horizontal direction which is the lengthwise direction ofthe case body 24. Hereinafter, the opening 25 side of the case body 24will be defined as a front side, and the inside of the case body 24 seenfrom the opening 25 will be defined as a rear side.

A moving body (internal moving body) 26 is provided within the case body24. A front end portion of the moving body 26 is protruded from the casebody 24 through the opening 25. This front end portion serves as aconnection member, and is connected to the frame 23 and supports it. Amoving mechanism 30 configured to operate the moving body 26 and theframe 23 is provided inside the case body 24. The moving mechanism 30 isequipped with a guide rail 31 extending along the lengthwise directionof the case body 24, and the moving body 26 is engaged with this guiderail 31.

Further, the moving mechanism 30 includes a driving pulley 32, a drivenpulley 33, a belt 34, and a motor 35. The driving pulley 32 and thedriven pulley 33 are provided at one end side and the other end sidewithin the case body 24 in the lengthwise direction thereof, and areconfigured to be rotatable about horizontal axes in parallel. The belt34 is wound around these pulleys 32 and 33, and this belt 34 isconnected to the moving body 26. The motor 35 is connected to thedriving pulley 32. The belt 34 is driven by the rotation of the motor35, and the moving body 26 is moved linearly (in the lengthwisedirection of the case body 24) along the opening 25. Along with thismovement of the moving body 26, the frame 23 is linearly moved along thelengthwise direction of the transfer path 15.

Fans 27 configured to evacuate the case body 24 are provided on the rearside of the case body 24. For example, the fans 27 are respectivelyprovided at one end side and the other end side within the case body 24in the lengthwise direction thereof, and the inside of the case body 24is set into a negative pressure with respect to the transfer path 15 bythe operation of these fans 27. Particles generated by sliding movementsof the individual components of the moving mechanism 30 and particlesgenerated from grease used in the motor 35 are removed by these fans 27.

Further, in order to suppress the particles in the case body 24 fromscattering to the transfer path 15, there is provided a seal belt 40that closes the opening 25 from the inside. As shown in FIG. 3 , theseal belt 40 is an annular belt having a width larger than the width ofthe opening 25 in an up-and-down direction. As depicted in FIG. 2 ,driven rollers 42, which are configured to be rotatable, are providedaround the four corners within the case body 24, when viewed from thetop. A rotation axis 41 of each driven roller 42 extends in the verticaldirection. The aforementioned seal belt 40 is tightly wounded around thefour driven rollers 42, and one surface side (front surface side) of twoopposites end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise directionthereof faces an edge portion of the opening 25 while being spaced aparttherefrom. To be more specific, the front surface side of each endportion faces a front wall forming member 51 provided at the edgeportion of the opening 25, as will be elaborated later.

The above-described moving body 26 penetrates the seal belt 40 thatcloses the opening 25. Thus, the moving body 26 is connected to the sealbelt 40, and when the moving body 26 is linearly moved by the movingmechanism 30, the seal belt 40 is moved around along a substantiallyrectangular trajectory within the case body 24, and a portion of theseal belt 40 facing the opening 25 is linearly moved along thelengthwise direction of the case body 24. In this way, although the sealbelt 40 is moved along with the moving body 26, the opening 25 is keptclosed by the portion of the seal belt 40 that is located between thetwo driven rollers 42 on the front side, regardless of the position ofthe moving body 26.

In addition, in the following specification, a surface of the seal belt40 facing the opening 25 will be defined as one surface side (frontsurface side), and a surface opposite thereto and in contact with thedriven roller 42 will be defined as the other surface side (rear surfaceside). Further, in the following description, unless a portion of theseal belt 40 is not particularly specified, it is assumed that the sealbelt 40 refers to a portion of the perimeter of the seal belt 40 that istightly wound on the front side (the portion tightly wound between thedriven rollers 42 on the front side).

As described in Background, as a conventional linearly moving mechanism,there is known a device including a fan configured to evacuate a casebody so that particles included in an atmosphere within the case bodymay not be scattered to the outside of the case body through an openingof the case body, and including a seal belt at the opening. Now, a casewhere this conventional linearly moving mechanism is applied to, forexample, the transfer arm 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 4and FIG. 5 . Since it is the conventional linearly moving mechanism, anenclosing member 50 to be described later for suppressing deformation ofthe seal belt 40 is not provided in the case body 24 shown in FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 .

Due to the evacuation by the fans 27, the inside of the case body 24 isturned into a negative pressure with respect to the transfer path 15,and air in the transfer path 15 is introduced into the case body 24through the opening 25. Due to the introduction of the air, the twoopposite end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction(vertical direction) are pushed toward the rear side of the case body24, and the seal belt 40 is deformed to be bent in an arc shape whenviewed from the side, resulting in enlargement of gaps between the edgeportion of the opening 25 of the case body 24 and both end portions ofthe seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction. Further, in FIG. 4 , asolid line indicates the seal belt 40 bent as stated above, and a dashedline indicates the seal belt 40 which is not bent.

Meanwhile, when the moving body 26 is moved within the case body 24, anatmosphere in an area, which is a moving destination of the moving body,within the case body 24 in the lengthwise direction is compressed by themoving body 26, resulting in a pressure rise. At this time, if the sealbelt 40 is deformed as described above and the gaps between the edgeportion of the opening 25 of the case body 24 and both end portions ofthe seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction on the front surface sidethereof is widened, there is a likelihood that the compressed atmospheremay flow out of the case body 24 from the gaps, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In such a case, particles 100 in the case body 24 may be scatteredinto the transfer path 15 by being carried on the flow of theatmosphere.

Thus, in the present exemplary embodiment, in order to suppress theenlargement of the gaps between the edge portion of the opening 25 andboth end portions (upper and lower end portions) of the seal belt 40 inthe widthwise direction thereof, enclosing members 5 respectivelyenclosing the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the sealbelt 40 are provided. That is, two enclosing members 5 in total areprovided on the upper end side and the lower end side of the seal belt40, respectively. The enclosing member 5 provided on the upper end sideof the seal belt 40 and the enclosing member 5 provided on the lower endside thereof are mirror-symmetrically configured with respect to ahorizontal plane passing through the center of the seal belt 40.Hereinafter, the enclosing member 5 provided on the upper end side ofthe seal belt 40 will be described as an example.

The enclosing member 5 is formed by an upper periphery portion of theopening 25 of the case body 24, the front wall forming member 51provided at the corresponding periphery portion, and a deformationsuppressing member 52 configured to suppress the deformation of the sealbelt 40. When viewed from a moving direction of the seal belt 40 (thatis, the lengthwise direction of the case body 24), the enclosing member5 is formed as a recess portion surrounding the end portion of the sealbelt 40 in the widthwise direction. The front wall forming member 51 isa rectangular member that protrudes backwards from the case body 24 andis elongated along the lengthwise direction of the opening 25, and thisfront wall forming member 51 is extended from one end of the opening 25to the other end in the lengthwise direction thereof. A lower end of thefront wall forming member 51 is on a level with the upper periphery ofthe opening 25, and a height of an upper periphery of the front wallforming member 51 is higher than an upper periphery of the seal belt 40.The front wall forming member 51 forms a front sidewall of the recessportion, and faces the front surface of the upper end of the seal belt40 with a gap therebetween. In this way, the front wall forming member51 is configured to adjust a size of the gap formed on the front side ofthe end portion of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction so thatrequired sealing property of the seal belt 40 is acquired. The frontwall forming member 51 is made of, for example, UPE (Ultra HighMolecular Weight Polyethylene).

Now, the deformation suppressing member 52 will be described. Thedeformation suppressing member 52 has a horizontal wall 50A and avertical wall 50B. The horizontal wall 50A is provided so as to protrudebackwards from a position on an inner wall of the case body 24 slightlyabove the front wall forming member 51. A rear end of this horizontalwall 50A is bent downwards to form the vertical wall 50B. A portion ofthe vertical wall 50B in a range of, e.g., approximately 6 mm from alower end thereof protrudes forwards, forming a protrusion 53 along thelengthwise direction of the opening 25. A front end portion of theprotrusion 53 is opposed to an upper end portion of a rear surface ofthe seal belt 40 with a gap therebetween. Further, the protrusion 53 isformed to have a circular shape when viewed from the moving direction ofthe seal belt 40. In this way, the deformation suppressing member 52forms a bottom portion and a rear sidewall of the recess portion, and ismade of, for example, UPE, the same as the front wall forming member 51.The use of the UPE is to reduce a friction generated between the sealbelt 40 and the deformation suppressing member 52 when the seal belt 40comes into contact with the deformation suppressing member 52, but thematerial of the deformation suppressing member 52 is not limited to theUPE. Further, in order to obtain the proper sealing property by the sealbelt 40, the size of the gap between the front surface of the seal belt40 and the front wall forming member 51 is in a range from, e.g., 0.5 mmto 1.0 mm. Furthermore, in order to obtain a proper action of a gasdischarged from the protrusion 53 as will be described later, the gapbetween the rear surface of the seal belt 40 and the protrusion 53 is,for example, 0.5 mm or less.

In addition, in order to suppress the deformation in the entire regionof the seal belt 40 facing the opening 25, the deformation suppressingmember 52 is formed along the lengthwise direction of the case body 24from one end of the opening 25 to the other end thereof, for example.That is, in the lengthwise direction of the opening 25, the position ofone end of the deformation suppressing member 52 is the same as theposition of the one end of the opening 25, or is a position outside theopening 25. Further, the position of the other end of the deformationsuppressing member 52 is the same as the position of the other end ofthe opening 25, or a position outside the opening 25.

Further, if the seal belt 40 and the vertical wall 50B of thedeformation suppressing member 52 are rubbed against each other when themoving body 26 and the seal belt 40 are moved, the deterioration of theseal belt 40 may be accelerated, or the particles 100 may be generated.In order to suppress these problems, a gas discharge opening 54 throughwhich, for example, a nitrogen gas (N₂ gas) is discharged toward therear surface side of the seal belt 40 is provided at a front end of theprotrusion 53 on the vertical wall 50B. Through the discharge of thegas, a contact between the vertical wall 50B and the seal belt 40 issuppressed.

The gas discharge opening 54 is formed in a slit shape extending alongthe moving direction of the seal belt 40, and is formed from one end ofthe opening 25 to the other end thereof, for example. The gas dischargeopening 54 communicates with a buffer space 55 formed within theprotrusion 53. The buffer space 55 is a space for diffusing the gas inthe extension direction of the deformation suppressing member 52 (thatis, the lengthwise direction of the case body 24), and when viewed fromthis extension direction, the buffer space 55 is formed to have acircular shape having a diameter of 4 mm. A pipeline constituting a gassupply path 56 through which the N₂ gas as a contact suppressing gas issupplied into the buffer space 55 is connected to the deformationsuppressing member 52, and an upstream side of the pipeline is connectedto an N₂ gas source 57. Reference numerals 58 and 59 in FIG. 7 denote aflow rate controller and a valve, respectively.

Further, at a position above the protrusion 53 on the vertical wall 50B(a position at a bottom side of the recess portion when viewed from thelengthwise direction of the case body 24), a vent hole 60 is formedalong the thickness direction of the vertical wall 50B. As the inside ofthe case body 24 is turned into the negative pressure with respect tothe transfer path 15 as described above, the air flown into the casebody 24 from the transfer path 15 through the opening 25 passes throughthe vent hole 60 to be exhausted toward the rear side of the case body24. The number of this vent hole 60 is plural, and the plurality of ventholes 60 are equi-spaced along the extension direction of thedeformation suppressing member 52, for example.

Although detailed description of the enclosing member 5 on the lowerside will be omitted here as the two enclosing members 5 aremirror-symmetrical as stated above, differences from the enclosingmember 5 on the upper side will be briefly explained. The enclosingmember 5 on the lower side is formed by a lower periphery portion of theopening 25 of the case body 24. The front wall forming member 51provided at the lower periphery portion of the opening 25 faces thefront surface of the lower end of the seal belt 40. Further, an upperend of this front wall forming member 51 is on a level with a lower endperiphery of the opening 25 and is located higher than a lower peripheryof the seal belt 40. Moreover, the deformation suppressing member 52 ofthe enclosing member 5 on the lower side is different from thedeformation suppressing member 52 of the enclosing member 5 on the upperside in that the horizontal wall 50A is provided below the front wallforming member 51, the vertical wall 50B is formed upwards from thehorizontal wall 50A, and a front end of the protrusion 53 faces a lowerend portion of the rear surface of the seal belt 40.

Further, a configuration of the respective components constituting theexternal moving body of the transfer arm 11 will be further described.The same as the movement of the frame 23, the movement of the supports 2on the base 21 and the upward/downward movement of the elevating table22 are also performed by driving systems each composed of a guide rail31, pulleys 32 and 33, a belt 34 and a motor 35. The driving system ofthe supports 2 is provided within the base 21, and the driving system ofthe elevating table 22 is provided within the frame 23. Further, therotation of the base 21 on the elevating table 22 is also performed by adriving system composed of a motor 35, and this driving system isprovided within the elevating table 22. Spaces in which these drivingsystems are provided communicate with a space within the case body 24 tobe evacuated by the fans 27. Here, illustration of the respectivedriving systems and the spaces where those driving systems are providedis omitted.

Now, an operation of the above-described transfer arm 11 will beexplained. First, before starting a transfer of the wafer W, thetransfer arm 11 stands by at a position where the transfer arm 11receives the wafer W from the transit module TRS of the tower T1, forexample. Thus, within the case body 24, the moving body 26 is locatednear the transit module TRS, as illustrated in FIG. 8 . At this time,since the fans 27 are being rotated, the atmosphere including theparticles 100 within the case body 24 is being exhausted, and the N₂ gasis being discharged from the gas discharge opening 54 toward the rearsurface of the seal belt 40.

Due to the evacuation by the fans 27, the inside of the case body 24 isset into the negative pressure. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 , the airflows from the transfer path 15 into the opening 25, and this air passesthrough the gap between the seal belt 40 and the front wall formingmember 51 and the vent holes 60 formed at the deformation suppressingmember 52 in sequence, and is flown toward the fans 27 to be exhausted.Further, some of the N₂ gas discharged from the gas discharge opening 54to the seal belt 40 flows along a surface of the protrusion 53 towardthe bottom side of the recess portion formed by the enclosing member 5to join the flow of the air passing through the vent holes 60, and thenflows toward the fans 27 through the vent holes 60 to be exhausted. Someof the N₂ gas discharged to the seal belt 40 flows along the surface ofthe protrusion 53 toward an opening side of the recess portion, and thenflows toward the fans 27 from a space between the upper and lowerenclosing members 5 to be exhausted.

The two opposite end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwisedirection thereof are pushed to the rear side by the above-described airflow. However, since the N₂ gas is discharged from the rear side, thebackward movement of both end portions in the widthwise direction, thatis, the deformation of the seal belt 40 described above with referenceto FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 is suppressed. Further, even when the seal belt 40is deformed as the action by this air flow is relatively strong, the twoopposite end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise directionthereof are in contact with the protrusions 53, so that the amount ofthe deformation thereof is reduced. Therefore, the gaps between both endportions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction and the frontwall forming member 51 (the edge portion of the opening 25) are notenlarged.

In such a state that the deformation of the seal belt 40 is suppressed,the transfer arm 11 receives the wafer W from the transit module TRS ofthe tower T1, and transfers the received wafer W to, for example, theinnermost resist coating module 14 when viewed from the tower T1, andthe moving body 26 is moved from the front side to the inner side whenviewed from the tower T1, as illustrated in FIG. 11 . Accordingly, theatmosphere of the space (inner space) in the moving direction of themoving body 26 within the case body 24 is compressed, resulting in apressure rise.

However, since the deformation of the seal belt 40 is suppressed asstated above, the gaps between both end portions of the seal belt 40 inthe widthwise direction and the front wall forming members 51 are keptnarrow. Therefore, release of the compressed atmosphere into thetransfer path 15 is suppressed as shown in FIG. 12 . Accordingly, theparticles 100 are also suppressed from being released into the transferpath 15 from the inside of the case body 24. Here, although the state ofthe seal belt 40 when the wafer W is transferred from the transit moduleTRS to the resist coating module 14 has been described as an example,the deformation of the seal belt 40 is also suppressed when the wafer Wis transferred between the modules, so that the release of the particles100 into transfer path 15 is suppressed.

According to this transfer arm 11, in moving the moving body 26accommodated in the case body 24 to linearly move the frame 23 connectedto the moving body 26 through the opening 25, the seal belt 40 forclosing the opening 25 is provided. Further, there are provided theenclosing members 5 respectively equipped with the deformationsuppressing members 52 facing the other surface side of both endportions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction thereof.Therefore, even when the case body 24 is evacuated by the fans 27, thegaps between both end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwisedirection and the edge portion of the opening 25 due to the deformationof the seal belt 40 is suppressed from being enlarged. Thus, thescattering of the particles 100 from the inside of the case body 24 tothe transfer path 15 through the opening 25 is suppressed. As a result,the adhesion of the particles 100 to the wafer W passing through thetransfer path 15 is suppressed, so that the reduction in yield ofsemiconductor products manufactured from the wafer W can be suppressed.

Further, since the deformation of the seal belt 40 is suppressed and thesealing property of the opening 25 is high, it is possible to suppressthe scattering of the particles to the transfer path 15 while reducingthe rotation speed of the fans 27. Thus, by reducing the rotation speedof the fans 27, the electric power supplied to the fans 27 can bereduced. Therefore, operating cost of the transfer arm 11 can bereduced.

Further, the N₂ gas is discharged from the protrusions 53 provided onthe vertical walls 50B of the deformation suppressing members 52 to therear surface of both end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwisedirection thereof. Accordingly, the deformation of the seal belt 40 ismore reliably suppressed, and the contact of the seal belt 40 with thedeformation suppressing members 52 is suppressed. Since the particlegeneration is suppressed as the contact is suppressed in this way, thescattering of the particles to the transfer path 15 is suppressed moresecurely. Furthermore, as described above, the deterioration of the sealbelt 40 can also be suppressed.

In addition, since the gas discharge opening 54 is formed in the slitshape extending along the moving direction of the seal belt 40, thecontact of the seal belt 40 with the deformation suppressing members 52at respective positions of the seal belt 40 along the lengthwisedirection of the opening 25 can be suppressed as described above, whichis deemed to be desirable. However, as the gas discharge opening 54, aplurality of small-diameter discharge openings may be formed at acertain distance therebetween along the moving direction of the sealbelt 40. When the gas discharge opening 54 is formed in the slit shapeas well, a plurality of slit-shaped discharge openings may be formed ata certain distance therebetween.

Further, the gas discharge opening 54 is provided at the protrusion 53of the vertical wall 50B constituting the deformation suppressing member52, and the N₂ gas is discharged from a position relatively close to theseal belt 40. Accordingly, a pressure applied from the gas to the sealbelt 40 can be relatively increased. Further, on the vertical wall 50B,since portions other than the protrusion 53 at which the gas dischargeopening 54 is formed as described above are relatively far from the sealbelt 40, it is difficult for these portions to come into contact withthe seal belt 40. That is, by discharging the gas from the protrusion53, the contact between the seal belt 40 and the deformation suppressingmember 52 can be more securely suppressed, which is regarded as beingdesirable.

In addition, since the protrusion 53 has the circular shape when viewedfrom the moving direction of the seal belt 40, the N₂ gas dischargedfrom the gas discharge opening 54 flows along the surface of theprotrusion 53 toward the fans 27 without being stayed. Accordingly, itis possible to suppress the front side of the seal belt 40 from cominginto contact with the front wall forming member 51 because of anincrease of a pressure on the rear surface side of the seal belt 40caused by the staying of the N₂ gas discharged to the rear surface sideof the seal belt 40. In addition, since the protrusion 53 is of such acircular shape, even when the protrusion 53 comes into contact with theseal belt 40, generated friction may be relatively small, so that thedeterioration of the seal belt 40 and the generation of particles 100may be suppressed. Thus, it is desirable that the protrusion 53 has thecircular shape.

Furthermore, in the vertical wall 50B of the deformation suppressingmember 52, the vent hole 60 is provided at the position on the bottomside of the recess portion formed by the enclosing member 5. As the airflowing from the transfer path 15 into the opening 25 flows to the rearside of the case body 24 through this vent hole 60, the amount of theair passing through the gap between the protrusion 53 and the seal belt40 is reduced. That is, the flow of the air in such a way to traversethe N₂ gas flow discharged from the gas discharge opening 54 issuppressed, so that suppression of the decrease of the pressure of theN₂ gas flow on the seal belt 40 is suppressed. Therefore, the contactbetween the seal belt 40 and the deformation suppressing member 52 ismore reliably suppressed.

As will be described later, the linearly moving mechanism 1 of thepresent disclosure is not limited to being applied to the transfer arm11. However, each of the elevating table 22, the base 21, and the frame23 is equipped with the driving mechanism, so they have a relativelylarge weight. Thus, the connection member of the moving body 26, whichis configured to support each of these components and is connected tothe frame 23, may need to be relatively large in order to increase thestrength. When the moving body 26 is configured in this way, the opening25 of the case body 24 is widened. If the opening 25 is widened, thearea of the seal belt 40 for closing the opening 25 also need to beenlarged. If the area of the seal belt 40 is increased in this way, theseal belt 40 may be loosened, raising a risk that the deformation of theseal belt 40 described above with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 mayeasily occur. That is, it is desirable to apply the linearly movingmechanism to the transfer arm 11 because, by doing so, the deformationof the linearly moving mechanism 1 can be suppressed, and the higheffect of suppressing the scattering of the particles can be achieved.

Meanwhile, the case body 24 may be disassembled, and the inside thereofcan be opened. As a specific example, an upper wall portion of the casebody 24 may be configured as a lid 24A to be attached to or detachedfrom another portion (case main body 24B) of the case body 24. As shownin FIG. 13 , the deformation suppressing member 52 is configured to bedetachable from the case body 24. The deformation suppressing member 52can be detached from the case main body 24B from which the cover 24A hasbeen separated, and maintenance such as cleaning may be performed. Theattachment/detachment of the deformation suppressing member 52 to/fromthe case body 24 and the attachment/detachment of the lid 24A to/fromthe case main body 24B may be performed by using, for example afastening tool (not shown), such as a bolt and a nut.

Now, modification examples of the deformation suppressing member 52 forthe seal belt 40 according to the present disclosure will be described,while mainly focusing on differences from the deformation suppressingmember 52. Further, in FIG. 14 to FIG. 17 illustrating the modificationexamples, the front wall forming member 51 forming the recess portionsurrounding the seal belt 40 and the horizontal wall 50A forming thedeformation suppressing member are simplified, as compared to FIG. 3 ,for example.

A deformation suppressing member 52A shown in FIG. 14 is equipped with ashaft 61 and a cam follower 62 which is a column-shaped rotating bodyuprightly provided, instead of the vertical wall 50B. The shaft 61 isextended from a rear portion of the horizontal wall 50A toward a centralportion of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction thereof, and thecam follower 62 is provided at an end of the shaft 61 to be rotatablearound the shaft 61. Thus, the shaft 61 and the cam follower 62 form asidewall of the recess portion on the rear side when viewed from thelateral side. The shaft 61 extends along the vertical direction, andthus is orthogonal to the moving direction of the seal belt 40. Theshaft 61 and the cam follower 62 may be plural in number, and they maybe arranged at, for example, a regular distance therebetween along themoving direction of the seal belt 40, as shown in FIG. 15 .

By providing the plurality of cam followers 62 on the rear side of theseal belt 40 in this way, the positions of both end portions of the sealbelt 40 in the widthwise direction can be restricted, and thedeformation of the seal belt 40 can be suppressed. Furthermore, if acircumferential surface of the cam follower 62 is in contact with theseal belt 40 when the seal belt 40 is moved, the cam follower 62 isrotated in the moving direction of the seal belt 40. Accordingly,friction between the cam follower 62 and the seal belt 40 can bereduced, so that the deterioration of the seal belt 40 and the particlegeneration are suppressed. In the state that the seal belt 40 is notdeformed, the seal belt 40 may be in contact with the circumferentialsurface of the cam follower 62 or may be slightly apart therefrom.

In addition, a deformation suppressing member 52B shown in FIG. 16 isnot provided with the vent hole 60 in the vertical wall 50B thereof.Further, the protrusion 53 of this deformation suppressing member 52B isequipped with a plate-shaped airflow guide member 63. The airflow guidemember 63 is provided so as to extend from an edge portion of the gasdischarge opening 54 of the protrusion 53 toward the central side of theseal belt 40 in the widthwise direction thereof. Since the airflow guidemember 63 is extended from the edge portion of the gas discharge opening54 as described above, it is adjacent to the seal belt 40. The N₂ gasdischarged from the gas discharge opening 54 and the air flowing intothe opening 25 from the transfer path 15 flow through a gap formedbetween the airflow guide member 63 and the seal belt 40, and isexhausted from the case body 24. In this way, the airflow guide member63 is a guide portion configured to regulate the airflow by forming agap with a small front-rear width on the rear side at each of both endportions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction. The airflowflowing through the gap on the rear side of the seal belt 40 in this waygenerates a vacuum-attracting force according to Bernoulli's principle,and both end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction areattracted to the airflow guide members 63 while being kept innon-contact with them. Therefore, the positions of both end portions ofthe seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction are restricted, so that thedeformation of the seal belt 40 is suppressed, and the contact betweenthe seal belt 40 and the protrusion 53 can be more reliably suppressed.

Further, the gas discharge opening 54 and the airflow guide member 63may be provided at the front wall forming member 51, and both endportions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction may be attractedforwards, keeping them in non-contact with the front wall formingmembers 51. Alternatively, the gas discharge opening 54 and the airflowguide member 63 may be provided on both the front surface side and therear surface side of the seal belt 40.

Now, a deformation suppressing member 52C shown in FIG. 17 will beexplained. This deformation suppressing member 52C is not provided withthe vent hole 60. An end portion of the vertical wall 50B thereof isextended toward a central portion of the seal belt 40 in the widthwisedirection more than the protrusion 53 is. An exhaust path 65 is formedwithin this extended portion, and a suction opening 64 communicatingwith the exhaust path 65 is opened on a front surface of this extendedportion facing the seal belt 40. Accordingly, the suction opening 64 islocated at an opening side of the recess portion with respect to the gasdischarge opening 54. Some of the air introduced from the transfer path15 and the N₂ gas discharged from the gas discharge opening 54 are flownthrough the suction opening 64 to be exhausted, and some of the airpasses through the front of the vertical wall 50B and is flown into thefans 27 to be exhausted. In this way, by performing the suction from thesuction opening 64 along with the discharge of the gas from the gasdischarge opening 54, an excessive rise of the pressure on the rearsurface side of the seal belt 40 due to the N₂ gas discharged from thegas discharge opening 54 can be suppressed. By suppressing such a risein the pressure on the rear surface side, the seal belt 40 can besuppressed from coming into contact with the front wall forming member51.

Another configuration example of the case body 24 is shown in FIG. 18 .A horizontal partition plate 68 is provided in a central portion withinthe case body 24 of FIG. 18 in a front-rear direction to partition aregion (movement region) where the moving body 26 and the belt 34 aremoved and a region above it (referred to as a division region 66). A fan67 is provided in this division region 66 separately from the fan 27.The air introduced into the case body 24 from the opening 25 flows intothe division region 66 by the fan 67, and is exhausted by the fan 27toward the rear side of the division region 66. That is, there is formedan exhaust path bypassing the region in which the moving body 26 ismoved. By adopting this configuration, the number of the particles 100in the movement region of the moving body 26 is reduced. Thus, even ifthe pressure of the atmosphere is raised in this movement region by themovement of the moving body 26 and, thus, the atmosphere flows towardthe opening 25, the number of particles 100 included in the atmosphereis small. Therefore, the scattering of the particles 100 to the transferpath 15 can be suppressed more reliably.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

A linearly moving mechanism according to a second exemplary embodimentwill be described. As shown in FIG. 19 , the linearly moving mechanismaccording to the second exemplary embodiment includes an internal movingbody 70 configured to be linearly moved along the guide rail 31 providedin the case body 24. The internal moving body 70 corresponds to themoving body 26 of the first exemplary embodiment, and is configured tobe horizontally moved by individual members provided within the casebody 24, such as a motor 35 and a belt 34, the same as the moving body26. Illustration of these individual members is omitted here.

A height dimension of the internal moving body 70 is larger than a widthdimension of the opening 25 and a width dimension of the seal belt 40,and a periphery of an upper end and a periphery of a lower end on afront surface of the internal moving body 70 respectively faces the edgeportions of the opening 25 in the widthwise direction thereof. Further,in front of the internal moving body 70, there is provided a connectionmember 71 which is connected to a non-illustrated external moving bodyand protruded from the opening 25 to the outside of the case body 24.

Inside the case body 24, the seal belt 40 is disposed so that onesurface side of both end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwisedirection thereof faces the edge portion of the opening 25 of the casebody 24 while being spaced apart therefrom. The seal belt 40 is providedso as to penetrate the internal moving body 70. In the second exemplaryembodiment, the seal belt 40 is not of an annular shape. Two oppositeends of the seal belt 40 in the lengthwise direction are respectivelyfixed to supporting columns 72 within the case body 24, and the sealbelt 40 is disposed to close the opening 25. A reference numeral 73 inFIG. 19 denotes a driven roller configured to regulate the position ofthe seal belt 40 so that the seal belt 40 is tightly extended near theopening 25, and these driven rollers 73 are disposed outside the opening25 in the lengthwise direction of the opening 25.

Further, within the internal moving body 70, outer driven rollers 74 arerespectively provided near both sidewalls facing the moving direction ofthe internal moving body 70 (the lengthwise direction of the case body24). The outer driven rollers 74 have a function of regulating theposition of the seal belt 40 such that the seal belt 40 passes near theopening 25 at the outside of the internal moving body 70, and areprovided near the opening 25. Further, within the inner moving body 70,there are provided two driven rollers 75 configured to regulate theposition of the seal belt 40 such that the seal belt 40, whichpenetrates through the inside of the internal moving body 70, passesthrough a position apart from the opening 25. These two driven rollers75 are located on the rear side of the outer driven rollers 74, andarranged apart from each other in the lengthwise direction of the casebody 24. Further, a rotation axis of each of the rollers 73 to 75extends in the vertical direction.

That is, in this second exemplary embodiment, the internal moving body70 is moved with respect to the seal belt 40. The seal belt 40 is woundaround the rollers 74 and 75 of the internal moving body 70 such thatfront and rear positions of respective portions of the seal belt 40 inthe lengthwise direction thereof, which corresponds to the internalmoving body 70 in the case body 24, are changed. To be specific, aportion (first portion) of the seal belt 40 positioned inside theinternal moving body 70 is located on the rear side, and a portion(second portion) positioned outside the internal moving body 70 islocated on the front side, that is, near the opening 25.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 20 , suction holes 76 are opened toward therear side at an upper periphery portion and a lower periphery portion ofthe opening 25 on an inner surface of the case body 24. In this example,the suction holes 76 are respectively formed at the upper and lowerperiphery portions in two levels. At each of the upper and lowerperiphery portions, a plurality of suction holes 76 are provided at adistance therebetween along the lengthwise direction of the opening 25.The suction holes 76 are configured as a suctioning member configured tosuck a front surface side of both end portions of the seal belt 40 inthe widthwise direction thereof, and serve to allow portions of the sealbelt 40 located outside the internal moving body 70 to be firmlyattached to the edge portion of the opening 25.

When the internal moving body 70 is moved, a portion of the seal belt 40that enters the internal moving body 70 is distanced apart from the edgeportion of the opening 25 by a stress applied thereto due to themovement of the internal moving body 70, as shown in FIG. 21 .Meanwhile, a portion of the seal belt 40 that comes out of the internalmoving body 70 is positioned near the opening 25 and sucked by thesuction holes 76 to be firmly attached to the edge portion of theopening 25, as depicted in FIG. 20 .

As the seal belt 40 is firmly attached in this way, even when the casebody 24 is evacuated into the negative pressure, the seal belt 40 thatcloses the opening 25 is not drawn to the rear side of the case body 24.Accordingly, gaps between the periphery of both ends of the seal belt 40in the widthwise direction and the edge portion of the opening 25 arenot enlarged. Therefore, even when the pressure within the case body 24is increased due to the movement of the internal moving body 70, it ispossible to suppress the atmosphere including the particles 100 frombeing flowing to the outside of the case body 24.

The suction hole 76 may be a horizontally long slit. Further, thesuctioning member configured to suck the seal belt 40 to the case body24 is not limited to the above-described structure. For example, theremay be adopted a configuration in which a periphery portion of the sealbelt 40 in the widthwise direction includes a metal, and a magnet isdisposed at the edge portion of the opening 25 of the case body. Aportion of the seal belt 40 located near the opening 25 at the outsideof the internal moving body 70 may be firmly attracted to the edgeportion by the magnetic force of the magnet. That is, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the configuration in which the seal belt 40is sucked by the evacuation.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

A linearly moving mechanism according to a third exemplary embodimentwill be explained, while focusing on differences from the linearlymoving mechanism 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment. Thelinearly moving mechanism 1 according to the third exemplary embodimentis different from the linearly moving mechanism 1 according to the firstexemplary embodiment in the configuration of the enclosing member 5. Asillustrated in FIG. 22 , the enclosing member 5 of the linearly movingmechanism according to the third exemplary embodiment includes holdingtools 77 extending along the lengthwise direction of the case body 24. Alongitudinal cross section of this holding tool 77 forms a recessportion 77A. The two holding tools 77 are arranged such that openingsides of their recess portions 77A face each other. That is, the recessportion 77A of the holding tool 77 on the upper side is openeddownwards, and the recess portion 77A of the holding tool 77 on thelower side is opened upwards. Further, the holding tool 77 is providedwith an electromagnet 79 on the opposite side to the opening side of therecess portion 77A, that is, at the outside of the recess portion 77A,and the electromagnet 79 is disposed along the lengthwise direction ofthe holding tool 77 (that is, the lengthwise direction of the case body24). A magnetic fluid 78 is filled in each recess portion 77A andmaintained in the recess portion 77A by a magnetic force of theelectromagnet 79. Each of the two ends of the seal belt 40 in thewidthwise direction is located within the recess portion 77A and is incontact with the magnetic fluid 78 therein while being kept innon-contact with the holding tool 77.

That is, the gap between the seal belt 40 and the opening 25 is sealedby the magnetic fluid 78. Even in this configuration, since both endportions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction are located inthe recess portions 77A, the backward movement of the seal belt 40 isrestricted. Further, since the gap is sealed by the magnetic fluid 78 asdescribed above, the scattering of the particles from the case body 24to the transfer path 15 is more securely suppressed. Further, since theend portion of the seal belt 40 is moved in the magnetic fluid 78, alarge frictional force does not act on the end portion of the seal belt40. As a result, the deterioration of the seal belt 40 and the particlegeneration as a result of the seal belt 40 being rubbed can besuppressed.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 23 , each holding tool 77 may be disposedsuch that the recess portion 77A is opened toward the rear side, andboth end portions of the seal belt 40 in the widthwise direction may bebent toward the front side to be in contact with the magnetic fluid 78.

Now, the coating and developing apparatus 1A in which the processingunit 10 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed will be described in detail. FIG. 24and FIG. 25 are a schematic longitudinal side view and a plan view ofthe coating and developing apparatus, respectively. This coating anddeveloping apparatus includes a carrier block D1, a processing block D2and an interface block D3 connected in sequence in a straight lineshape. An exposure apparatus D4 is connected to the interface block D3on the opposite side from where the processing block D2 is connected.The carrier block D1 has a function of carrying a carrier C into/fromthe coating and developing apparatus 1A, an opening/closing unit 92configured to be moved up and down to open or close a lid of the carrierC, and a transfer device 93 configured to transfer the wafer W from thecarrier C through the opening/closing unit 92.

In the processing block D2, unit blocks E1 to E6 are stacked in sequencefrom the bottom. Each of the unit blocks E1 to E3 corresponds to theprocessing unit 10 described above, and is configured to form a resistfilm on the wafer W. The unit blocks E4 to 6 have substantially the sameconfiguration as the unit blocks E1 to E3, but each of them is equippedwith a developing module instead of the resist coating module 14.

The tower T1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided near the carrier block D1, andis vertically extended along the respective unit blocks E1 to E6.Further, the transit module TRS is provided at each height of the unitblocks E1 to E6. Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 1 , a transferarm 95 configured to be movable up and down to transfer the wafer Wto/from the tower T1 is provided. In addition, in FIG. 24 , the transferarms 11 of the respective unit blocks E1 to E6 are denoted by F1 to F6,respectively.

The interface block D3 includes towers T2, T3, and T4 each verticallyextending along the unit blocks E1 to E6. Transfer of the wafer Wbetween the tower T2 and the tower T3 is performed by an interface arm96 configured to be movable up and down, and transfer of the wafer Wbetween the tower T2 and the tower T4 is performed by an interface arm97 configured to be movable up and down. Furthermore, an interface arm98 configured to transfer the wafer W between the tower T2 and theexposure apparatus D4 is also provided. In the tower T2, modules such astransit module TRS are stacked on top of each other. Furthermore,although modules are also provided in each of the towers T3 and T4,description thereof will be omitted here.

In this coating and developing apparatus 1A, the wafer W transferred bythe carrier C is transferred to the unit blocks E1 to E3 to be subjectedto the resist film formation and the heat treatment in sequence. Then,the wafer W is transferred to the exposure apparatus D4 via the transitmodule TRS at each height of the unit blocks E1 to E3 of the tower T2 ofthe interface block D3 to be subjected to an exposure processing. Thewafer W after being exposed is transferred to the transit module TRS ateach height of the unit blocks E4 to E6 of the tower T2. Subsequently,the wafer W is subjected to heat treatment and a developing processingin sequence in the unit blocks E4 to E6. After a pattern is formed onthe resist film, the wafer W is returned back into the carrier C.

The linearly moving mechanism 1 according to the present disclosure maybe applied to the opening/closing unit 92 configured to open the lid ofthe carrier C in the coating and developing apparatus shown in FIG. 24 .By applying the linearly moving mechanism according to the presentdisclosure, it is possible to suppress the release of the particles intothe transfer path of the wafer W which is taken out of the carrier C,and, thus, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of the particles tothe wafer W.

Further, the linearly moving mechanism according to the presentdisclosure may also be applied to the resist coating module 14. Toelaborate, the linearly moving mechanism may be applied to, for example,a moving mechanism for a nozzle configured to discharge a resist.Hereinafter, description thereof will be provided with reference to FIG.26 . A reference numeral 87 in the figure denotes a cup that surroundsthe wafer W to process it.

As depicted in FIG. 26 , a nozzle moving mechanism 8 is equipped with afirst housing 81 and a second housing 82 each of which has substantiallythe same structure as the linearly moving mechanism 1 shown in the firstexemplary embodiment. The following description will focus ondifferences between the first and second housings 81 and 82 and thelinearly moving mechanism described in the first exemplary embodiment.In the first housing 81, a nozzle 80 as the external moving body isconnected to a moving body 84 as the internal moving body via an arm 83which is a connection member, and the nozzle 80 is configured to bemoved up and down. Further, in the housing 81, an exhaust opening 85 isformed in a bottom surface thereof, instead of providing the fan 27.

The second housing 82 is disposed such that an opening 25 thereof facesupwards, and is configured to move the first housing 81 as the externalmoving body in the horizontal direction. Further, a connection member 86which supports the first housing 81 is formed to have a tubular shape,for example. One end of the connection member 86 is connected to theexhaust opening 85 of the first housing 81, and the other end thereof isopened to the inside of the second housing 82. When the evacuation isperformed by the fan 27 of the second housing 82, the first housing 81is also evacuated together through the connection member 86.

By the operation of the nozzle moving mechanism 8, the nozzle 80 ismoved between a processing position of a predetermined height for thewafer W inside the cup 87 and a standby position of a preset heightoutside the cup 87. Since each of the first housing 81 and the secondhousing 82 has the same configuration as the linearly moving mechanism1, the scattering of the particles from each housing is suppressed inmoving the nozzle 80 as stated above. Therefore, it is possible tosuppress the adhesion of the particles to the wafer W.

As stated above, the linearly moving mechanism of the present disclosureis not limited to being applied to the transfer arm 11. The linearlymoving mechanism of the present disclosure may also be applicable to anozzle moving mechanism of an apparatus configured to supply a chemicalliquid other than the resist. Besides the aforementioned examples, thelinearly moving mechanism of the present disclosure may be applied to,by way of non-limiting example, an elevating mechanism configured toelevate an elevating pin provided to transfer a substrate with respectto a transfer mechanism in an apparatus or a module configured toprocess the substrate. In addition, this linearly moving mechanism mayalso be applied to a moving mechanism configured to move a placing table91 for the carrier C between an unloading position (a position at whichthe carrier C is transferred onto the placing table 91) and a loadingposition (a position at which the wafer W is carried into theapparatus). Furthermore, the moving direction of the external movingbody by the linearly moving mechanism is not limited to the up-and-downdirection and the horizontal direction as in the respective exemplaryembodiments described above. By way of example, the moving direction maybe an inclined direction.

Further Modification Example of First Exemplary Embodiment

Now, a further modification example of the first exemplary embodimentwill be described with reference to longitudinal side views of FIG. 27and FIG. 28 and a perspective view of FIG. 29 , focusing on differencesfrom the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6 and so forth. FIG.27 and FIG. 28 illustrate cross sections at different positions in themoving direction (linear direction) of the seal belt 40. In thismodification example as well, enclosing members 5 each forming a recessportion when viewed in the moving direction of the seal belt 40 arerespectively provided at an upper side and a lower side within the casebody 24, the same as in the first exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, theenclosing member 5 on the upper side will be described as arepresentative example.

The enclosing member 5 in this modification example is a memberelongated in the moving direction of the seal belt 40, and is made of,by way of example, a resin. Sidewalls and a bottom wall forming therecess portion are formed as one body. More specifically, the front wallforming member 51 described in the first exemplary embodiment isconfigured to be connected to the horizontal wall 50A, and the frontwall forming member 51, the horizontal wall 50A and the vertical wall50B form, as one body, the enclosing member 5 as the recess portion.This enclosing member 5 surrounds an upper end portion of the seal belt40. Further, the vertical wall 50B (the sidewall at one side of therecess portion) of the enclosing member 5 of this modification exampleis not provided with the protrusion 53 and the vent hole 60, and a frontsurface of the vertical wall 50B is configured as a vertical surface 59opposed to and close to the rear surface side (the other surface side)of the upper end portion of the seal belt 40 (that is, provided so as tobe slightly distanced apart from the seal belt 40). This enclosingmember 5 is plural in number, and the plurality of enclosing members 5are arranged at the upper side within the case body 24 at a certaindistance therebetween in the moving direction of the seal belt 40.

A plurality of roller units 110 is provided at the upper side within thecase body 24. Each roller unit 110 is equipped with a base 101 and aroller 102. The base 101 is disposed at a position higher than the upperend of the seal belt 40, and the roller 102 is vertically elongateddownwards from the base 101 so that a circumferential surface of thisroller 102 faces the rear surface of the upper end portion of the sealbelt 40. The roller 102 is a rotating body configured to be rotatedaround a vertical axis, and an upper end side of the roller 102 issurrounded by a bearing 103 and is connected to the base 101 via thebearing 103. When viewed toward the moving direction of the seal belt40, a front end of the roller 102 is provided at a position closer tothe rear surface of the seal belt 40 rather than the vertical surface 55of the vertical wall 50B of the above-described enclosing member 5. Forexample, the front end of the roller 102 is adjacent to or in contactwith the rear surface of the seal belt 40. The plurality of roller units110 are provided above the seal belt 40, and the roller units 110 andthe enclosing members 5 are alternately arranged in the moving directionof the seal belt 40. Accordingly, the rollers 102 and the vertical walls50B are arranged in the moving direction of the seal belt 40.

In this further modification example of the first exemplary embodimentas well, the structure near the opening of the case body 24 isvertically mirror-symmetrical, the same as in the above-describedexamples. Accordingly, a plurality of enclosing members 5 and aplurality of roller units 110 are provided at the lower side within thecase body 24, and these enclosing members 5 and roller units 110 arealternately arranged in the moving direction of the seal belt 40. Inthis way, the lower end portion of the seal belt 40 is surrounded by theenclosing member 5 at the lower side within the case body 24, and thevertical wall 50B of this enclosing member 5 faces the rear surface oflower end portion of the seal belt 40. Furthermore, the base 101 of theroller unit 110 disposed at the lower side within the case body 24 inthis way is located below the lower end of the seal belt 40, and theroller 102 is protruded upwards from the base 101 to face the rearsurface of the lower end portion of the seal belt 40. As such, thepositional relationship between the vertical wall 50B of the enclosingmember 5 and the roller 102 respectively provided at the lower sidewithin the case body 24 is the same as the positional relationshipbetween the vertical wall 50B of the enclosing member 5 and the roller102 respectively disposed at the upper side within the case body 24.Moreover, the positions of the enclosing member 5 and the roller unit110 on the upper side and the enclosing member 5 and the roller unit 110on the lower side in the moving direction of the seal belt 40 are notlimited to being identical, but they may be slightly shifted from eachother, for example.

In the further modification example described above, a relatively largedeformation of the seal belt 40 is suppressed by the vertical wall 50Bof the enclosing member 5 located on the rear surface side of the sealbelt 40. Further, the roller 102 positioned on the rear surface side ofthe seal belt 40 like the vertical wall 50B also contributes to thesuppression of the deformation of the seal belt 40. Therefore, the sameas in the first exemplary embodiment, the sealing property against theopening 25 of the case body 24 can be improved. In this modificationexample, the vertical wall 50B and the roller 102 correspond to thedeformation suppressing member for the seal belt 40. Then, when the sealbelt 40 is not deformed or the amount of the deformation of the sealbelt 40 is small, the roller 102 guides the movement of the seal belt 40such that the sliding movement between the seal belt 40 and the verticalwall 50B is suppressed, so that the generation of the particles from theseal belt 40 is suppressed. In addition, since the sliding movement issuppressed, it is possible to achieve the longer lifetime of the sealbelt 40.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14 , the roller unit 102 may be equipped witha shaft 61 and a cam follower 62 which is a roller having a diameterlarger than that of the shaft 61 and configured to be rotated about theshaft 61. According to this roller unit 110, the roller 102 is extendeddownwards and upwards from the base 102 having the bearings 103respectively disposed above and below the seal belt 40. With thisconfiguration, the roller 102 is made to have a small diameter, and therotation axis of the roller 102 may be positioned at a position near theopening 25 which is a relatively forward position. Therefore, since thefront-rear width of the roller unit 110 can be reduced, the enlargementof the case body 24 can be suppressed.

It should be noted that the above-described exemplary embodiment isillustrative in all aspects and is not anyway limiting. Theabove-described exemplary embodiment may be omitted, replaced andmodified in various ways without departing from the scope and the spiritof claims.

EXPLANATION OF CODES

24: Case body

25: opening

26: Moving body

40: Seal belt

52: Deformation suppressing member

76: Suction hole

1. A linearly moving mechanism, comprising: a case body allowed to beevacuated; an opening formed at the case body; an internal moving bodyprovided within the case body, and configured to be moved in a lineardirection; a connection member provided at the internal moving body tobe protruded from the case body through the opening, connected to anexternal moving body at an outside of the case body, and configured tomove the external moving body along with a movement of the internalmoving body; a seal belt extending in the linear direction and providedwithin the case body to close the opening, a first surface side of bothend portions of the seal belt in a widthwise direction thereof facing anedge portion of the opening while being spaced apart therefrom; and adeformation suppressing member provided to face a second surface side ofthe both end portions of the seal belt in the widthwise directionthereof in order to suppress deformation of the seal belt, the seal beltbeing connected to the internal moving body to be moved in the lineardirection along with the movement of the internal moving body, or asuctioning member provided at the case body, and configured to firmlyattach, by sucking the first surface side of the both end portions ofthe seal belt connected to the internal moving body such that a firstportion of the seal belt corresponding to a position of the internalmoving body becomes farther from the opening than a second portion ofthe seal belt different from the first portion in the linear direction,the second portion to the edge portion of the opening.
 2. The linearlymoving mechanism of claim 1, wherein the deformation suppressing memberis provided on the second surface side of the both end portions of theseal belt in the widthwise direction while being spaced apart from theseal belt, and when viewed from the linear direction, a recess portionsurrounding the both end portions of the seal belt is formed, and afirst sidewall and a second sidewall of the recess portion isrespectively formed by the deformation suppressing member and the edgeportion of the opening.
 3. The linearly moving mechanism of claim 2,wherein the deformation suppressing member is equipped with a contactsuppressing member configured to suppress a contact between thedeformation suppressing member and the seal belt.
 4. The linearly movingmechanism of claim 3, wherein the deformation suppressing member extendsin the linear direction, the contact suppressing member is provided witha gas discharge opening through which a contact suppressing gasconfigured to suppress the seal belt from coming into contact with thedeformation suppressing member is discharged to the second surface sideof the both end portions of the seal belt in the widthwise directionthereof, and the gas discharge opening includes multiple gas dischargeopenings and the multiple gas discharge openings are arranged in thelinear direction, or the gas discharge opening is formed as a slitextending in the linear direction.
 5. The linearly moving mechanism ofclaim 4, wherein the sidewall of the recess portion formed by thedeformation suppressing member includes a protrusion protruding towardthe edge portion of the opening and extending in the linear direction,and the gas discharge opening is provided at the protrusion.
 6. Thelinearly moving mechanism of claim 5, wherein a leading end portion ofthe protrusion is of a circular shape, when viewed from the lineardirection.
 7. The linearly moving mechanism of claim 5, wherein adistance between the seal belt and the protrusion is 0.5 mm or less, anda distance between the seal belt and the edge portion of the opening isin a range from 0.5 mm to 1 mm.
 8. The linearly moving mechanism ofclaim 5, wherein the contact suppressing member includes a guide member,extending from an edge portion of the gas discharge opening opened atthe protrusion toward a central side of the seal belt in the widthwisedirection thereof, configured to guide a flow of the contact suppressinggas between the deformation suppressing member and the seal belt.
 9. Thelinearly moving mechanism of claim 4, wherein the deformationsuppressing member has, on an opening side of the recess portion withrespect to the gas discharge opening, a suction opening through whichthe gas discharged from the gas discharge opening is sucked.
 10. Thelinearly moving mechanism of claim 3, wherein, in the sidewall of therecess portion formed by the deformation suppressing member, a vent holeconfigured to allow an inside and an outside of the recess portion tocommunicate with each other is provided at a position closer to a bottomside of the recess portion than the gas discharge opening is.
 11. Thelinearly moving mechanism of claim 2, wherein the deformationsuppressing member is configured to be attached/detached with respect tothe case body.
 12. The linearly moving mechanism of claim 2, wherein amagnetic fluid is filled in the recess portion, and a magnet configuredto maintain the magnetic fluid in the recess portion is provided at anoutside of the recess portion.
 13. The linearly moving mechanism ofclaim 1, wherein the deformation suppressing member is provided on thesecond surface side of the both end portions of the seal belt in thewidthwise direction thereof, and the deformation suppressing member isequipped with a rotating body configured to be rotated around a rotationaxis orthogonal to a moving direction of the seal belt to reducefriction against the seal belt.
 14. The linearly moving mechanism ofclaim 13, wherein when viewed from the linear direction, a recessportion surrounding the both end portions of the seal belt is formed,the deformation suppressing member includes the rotating body disposedin the linear direction and a first sidewall of the recess portion, andthe first sidewall of the recess portion is provided on the secondsurface side of the both end portions of the seal belt in the widthwisedirection while being spaced apart from the seal belt, and the rotatingbody is located closer to the seal belt than the first sidewall of therecess portion is.
 15. The linearly moving mechanism of claim 1, whereinthe suctioning member is provided, and the suctioning member is providedwith a belt attracting suction hole provided at the case body.
 16. Thelinearly moving mechanism of claim 1, wherein the external moving bodyis equipped with a substrate support configured to support a substratefor semiconductor manufacturing.
 17. A method of suppressing scatteringof particles, comprising: evacuating a case body provided with anopening; moving an internal moving body provided within the case body ina linear direction; moving, by moving a connection member provided atthe internal moving body to be protruded from the case body through theopening and connected to an external moving body at an outside of thecase body, the external moving body along with a movement of theinternal moving body; moving the external moving body, which is providedat the outside of the case body and connected to the connection member,in the linear direction along with the movement of the internal movingbody; closing the opening by a seal belt extending in the lineardirection and provided within the case body, a first surface side ofboth end portions of the seal belt in a widthwise direction thereoffacing an edge portion of the opening while being spaced aparttherefrom; and suppressing, by a deformation suppressing member providedto face a second surface side of the both end portions of the seal beltin the widthwise direction thereof, deformation of the seal beltconnected to the internal moving body to be moved in the lineardirection along with the movement of the internal moving body, orattaching, by sucking the first surface side of the both end portions ofthe seal belt connected to the internal moving body with a suctiondevice provided at the case body such that a first portion of the sealbelt corresponding to a position of the internal moving body becomesfarther from the opening than a second portion of the seal beltdifferent from the first portion in the linear direction, the secondportion of the seal belt to the edge portion of the opening.